(Closed) My amazing SO proposed on a mountaintop with The Lord of the Rings :D

This weekend was my anniversary with my SO. Technically, it was supposed to be yesterday (one year to the day), but we decided to celebrate on Saturday because our first date was on Saturday. I knew that he was planning a game for me — he’d told me that much a few weeks ago. I thought I was going to find something “small and inexpensive” at the end, because he told me about twenty million times that he didn’t want me to be disappointed because it “wasn’t much” and so on and so forth. Looking back, I knew a couple of times over the past few months that something was up, but I thought it was just little secrets — like him prepping to buy me an e-reader. Mostly that. That’s what I thought he and Mom were doing when they took a trip to the nearest Barnes & Noble together, what I thought he was ordering in secret. He spent SO much work on putting this together and had to dance around with words a lot and make side-trails to keep me off the scent. And here’s what it all added up to:

Friday night, he surprised me with roses and wine, and I made teriyaki chicken and sushi rice for dinner. It was a great evening (even sharing it with his for-now roommate) — our favorite thing is just spending evenings at home. We cooked together, cuddled and watched Wipeout and some episodes of Eureka together. That in itself was enough of an anniversary present for me!The next morning, we got up and I started on my hunt. He said we’d be going to dinner later that night, so I went ahead and dressed up. He sent me on a scavenger hunt with a series of clues taking me from one place to the next. I went from our house to my Mom’s house, where I found one clue with her and one clue on the couch downstairs where we used to snuggle and watch movies when I lived at home. By that time, the clues were already so sweet that they were making me cry. In them, he talked about the things we’ve shared and the things he dreamed of for our future together. The next one was at the newspaper office where we both yoused to work, where per his instructions I also picked up the cooler I’d left there. On the way to Newland and on the way back, I kept thinking “holy crap, this is the most romantic thing in the world. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was proposing…. this would be the PERFECT way to propose… but he’s totally not doing that, so I just shouldn’t even think about it.” I even turned off the radio when it started playing that “Why Wait” song that’s been popular on the country stations lately because I felt like that would jinx something.I found another clue at his Mom’s house — she was acting REALLY happy and slightly weird. But I still didn’t think that he’d be up to this. I ended up back at his house, and he said I’d have to wait for the next clue until we went somewhere.He’d packed a picnic lunch which we put in the cooler, and he’d put a big fleece blanket in the car. We headed up Grandfather Mountain, a local nature preserve — which was PACKED with people. I kept suggesting that we just stop and eat on the side of the road, but he was all like, “no, it won’t be too long a wait, let’s just go to the top and see if it’s too crowded and we’ll come back down.” Still — noooooo idea.We got up to the top, to a spot he’d picked out at an overlook where we ate our lunch and took some pictures. It was a gorgeous day — kind of windy (well, we were on top of a mountain), but the fall colors were at peak, and the sky was totally clear. I’d never been to that overlook, and it was absolutely beautiful. We got in the car to keep out of the wind, and he gave me my next clue. He plopped the big blanket on my lap, and I could tell it had something inside it — I unfolded it, and there was a leatherbound 50th edition copy of The Lord of the Rings inside. It had an envelope taped to it.This one talked about how he knew it had been a special book for me and my mom growing up (it’s been my favorite book since my mom and I spent a year reading it aloud when I was in 5th grade, and we always joke about Sam being my first crush) and how he knew how important it was to me, and he talked about the parts that he thought were so wonderful and important in it — the way the characters are faithful in something bigger, trust in each other, the epic lovestories inside. Then I pulled out another letter in the book, talking about how rings have power — and some rings had power for good. It told me to look on top of the book, and that he had one question for me. The ring was taped to the top — I hadn’t even seen it when I pulled the letter out.It was the most amazing thing that’s ever happened to me. I couldn’t have dreamed up anything more romantic and perfect and just right for the two of us. It makes me cry just thinking about it again 🙂

And so, I came to find out that I was the last person in the entire town to know I was getting engaged 😛 Everyone he worked with knew for months. My Mom and Dad both knew (he asked them for permission). His Mom and Dad and aunt and cousin knew (luckily, he didn’t tell his siblings, because they totally would have totally the beans). Half of the people who he saw while on the job knew. All his friends knew, and some of mine who live nearby. I think even our missionary friend in Africa knew.I can’t believe that he and they were so successful in not telling me and keeping me totally off the scent. I’m just amazed and ecstatic and excited and feeling so ridiculously lucky that I get to spend forever with someone I love with all my heart and with someone who loves me so much in return 🙂